vascular
Americanadjective
adjective
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Relating to the vessels of the body, especially the arteries and veins, that carry blood and lymph.
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Relating to or having xylem and phloem, plant tissues highly specialized for carrying water, dissolved nutrients, and food from one part of a plant to another. Ferns and all seed-bearing plants have vascular tissues; bryophytes, such as mosses, do not.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vascular
From the New Latin word vāsculāris, dating back to 1665–75. See vasculum, -ar 1
Explanation
Use the adjective vascular when you're talking about blood vessels. One side effect of long-term smoking is vascular disease. The word vascular comes up in medicine and anatomy whenever there's discussion of the circulatory system, the series of vessels carrying blood around the body. Plants have vascular systems too, to carry water and nutrients throughout their systems. The word vascular comes from the Latin vascularis, "of or pertaining to vessels or tubes."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"This human arm was used to provide translational context, asking whether chronic disease tissue shows convergent signatures of altered lipid handling and reduced vascular stability."
From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026
"In the injured cortex, the team observed a coordinated shift in gene programs that normally support vascular stability and repair," Albayram said.
From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026
The flea-sized psyllid bites the leaves and transmits the disease, which slowly chokes out the tree’s vascular system from the inside, taking years to finally show itself.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
A postmortem examination identified that Frost suffered from significant cardiac disease and significant vascular disease.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
“This looks excellent, Jessica. Nice vascular flow, good color...you’re already healing beautifully.”
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
